Infrared Photography

 Infrared film is sensitive to the full spectrum of visible light and also to infrared radiation. This means the images differ from normal black and white film because normal film is only sensitive to visible light in order to replicate what we see. The effect of infrared film is most obvious when photographing leaves and plants because they reflect a lot of infrared radiation. This should mean they appear brighter in photographs. There are also some types of dyes and pigments that reflect more infrared radiation than others, so would stand out more.

There are different types of infrared films, some more extreme than others meaning they are sensitive to longer wavelengths which allows them to pick up more infrared radiation. The film we used was Rollei Infrared IR 400 which has sensitivity up to 820 nanometers(nm) with filtration. I didn't use a filter on my camera so the sensitivity will have been lower than this. Wavelengths of infrared radiation range from around 700nm to around 1,000nm so the film I used was one of the least sensitive. This means it produces a less extreme effect but is easier to handle and less likely to be ruined by light leaking into the film canister. Most infrared films can only be inserted or removed from the camera in complete darkness but this film can be handled in subdued light.

I developed my films in developer for 10 minutes, agitating every 30 seconds; then stop bath for 30 seconds, agitating constantly; then fixer for 5 minutes. I then rinsed it with running water for 30 minutes. I exposed some of my photographs onto photographic paper in the dark room, using a test strip of different exposure times to work out how long was needed. I exposed most of my images for 3 seconds.

I don’t think my photos were entirely successful because although some of them were quite crisp and detailed, a lot of them looked washed out and foggy. The foliage didn’t stand out much and they didn't have the high contrast of many black and white infrared photos. This could be because I didn't use a deep red or R72 filter which would have produced stronger effects, and may also be the result of some light leaking onto the film when I was developing it or moving it in or out of the camera.